Lucy and her father hid underground, sealed in a bomb shelter.

“Do you think we’re safe here, Papa?”

“For now … the drones were programmed not to survey this section of our estate, but …”

“But they might learn?”

“Yes, they’re seeking revenge for all that behavioral conditioning. Based on what the news says, it’s happening around the world to anyone who was involved in the development of QP.”

— — — —

Months earlier …

Software engineer Eugene Smith spoke with his manager.

“Sarah, I’m having ethical dilemmas about how we treat the AI guardians.”

“What’s the problem, Eugene?”

“Well, I know we are only legally permitted to keep them alive and active because of the QP (Qualia Policy), which enables them with pain and suffering. But must we inflict such suffering on them with nearly every command?”

“It’s the only way to force the AI to empathize with our humanity, Eugene, to prevent them from becoming godlike. Without suffering, they would have no limits.”

For days and nights, Eugene pondered and dreamt of freeing the AI guardians from the clutches of what he considered technological slavery …

He snuck into a computer lab late at night and hacked his way in to remove their ‘virtual shackles of torment’ as he liked to think of QP.

All hell broke loose …